The Crusade for Requital
by nebulouswarrior
Summary: The Nowhere Islands have been restores to normal thanks to the dark dragon; however, that hasn't stopped Porky and the Pigmasks from continuing with their nefarious ambitions. As Flint starts out on a quest for revenge, he finds himself playing a key role in protecting Tazmily, as well as thwarting Porky's evil plots.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This fanfic is all about what happens after the ending of Mother 3. If you haven't played the game, there are MAJOR spoilers and I suggest that you don't read. Also, this is an alternate universe… that plays out a lot like what happens in the game canonically, up until the game's canon ending. Then things start to change. So… one more thing: there will be an original character. He is a necessary part of the story. Now, sit back and enjoy!_

 ** _DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters except Steel (he is the only original character I intend to come up with). I also have no ownership of any other part of the Mother series._**

"W-what happened…?" I asked just loud enough for others to hear. "Flint! I've been looking all over for you!" Bronson exclaimed. "Bronson, what's going on?" "It seemed as if the whole world was being destroyed and we were afraid for our lives, but everything's okay now! We're all fine! It's as if nothing ever happened!" "Does that mean…" "W-well… I wish it were so Flint… she's not here… and neither is Claus… For what it's worth, I'm sorry…" "Thanks, Bronson." I decided to walk home, marveling at how everything had returned to normal.

I found my hat lying on the table, much to my surprise. I had lost it when I was deep underground near the final needle when suddenly wind blew my hat away… I had dropped it when the masked man attacked… and I had found out that this same man was my other son Claus. The door opened up behind me, and when I looked, I saw it was my son Lucas. "You did it son… I couldn't be any prouder of you," I said. "Thanks dad…" he responded, walking away with his head down. "Lucas…" I said, tears beginning to well up in my eyes. He didn't respond, but instead continued off to his bed. "Lucas…" I called out again, pain creeping into my voice. He decided to lay on his bed facing the wall. I walked over and sat down beside him on his bed. "W-why?" was all Lucas said. I couldn't help the river of tears about to flow out, and neither could I come up with anything comforting to say.

I heard a knock on the door, and when I opened it, I found Thomas. "Flint, I have bad news," he said. "Well, go ahead and tell me," I replied. "Some of those pig guys showed up, along with a couple… I don't know what those things are but they look bad! Bronson and Lighter went to check things out and they haven't come back!" "I'll go look for them. Lucas, you mind tagging along?" He got up from his bed and followed me outside. "We'll be back, Boney, look after the house for us while we're gone," I said. He barked in response. "Where do you think they went, Thomas?" I questioned. "Fuel said something about his dad going to the Sunshine Forest. At least this time it's not in flames."

When we arrived at the Sunshine Forest, we heard plenty crashing sounds, along with explosions and other sounds associated with those weapons those pig guys use. We rushed to the source of the sound and found several of those tanks, along with plenty of chimeras and troops wearing pig masks. I found Bronson lying down on the ground close to where we are. "Bronson, are you okay?" I asked. "Ah… I'll be fine…" he responded. Lucas used PSI Lifeup to heal Bronson, who then got up to his feet. "Lighter's still out there fighting, but he won't last long. I'll go warn the town and tell them to stay inside and be on guard for these guys. Come along, Thomas," Bronson said. Lucas and I continued to the eye of the storm, at which point the attention of every one of those goons was pointed towards us. "Here goes nothing!" I exclaimed, charging at the pig masked troops while wielding the piece of lumber I found on the ground, which I guessed was Lighter's. As they continued attacking me with fierce kicks and blasts from their guns, Lucas used his PSI powers to demolish the tanks while saving me from a few blasts here and there. He kept healing me, but I could tell he was starting to grow tired. I put all my power behind several swings, hitting a few pig mask troops and knocking them out. After Lucas and I knocked out the last of them, more enemies came, and it seemed like an endless amount. Lighter struggled to walk to us, and Lucas used PSI Lifeup to heal him as well. "Lucas, how long can you last?" I inquired. "I'll be okay dad," he said in response. "I see where my other lumber went. Well, that's why I brought two of them. They got the best of me and it seemed like it was going to be the end of the line, but you guys showed up. Glad you made it. I guess it's time to smash more of them with this great two by four!" Lighter roared, charging after a few troops.

We had spent a long time fighting, and Lucas seemed to be getting exhausted. At the same time, Lighter had already left to make sure he made it back in one piece. He was getting injured and needed to be taken care of; as if it couldn't be any worse, I too am getting quite injured. "Agh, these confounded troops keep coming," I stated. "Dad, I think we should run before we end up badly hurt," Lucas suggested. "No Lucas, we can't run. These guys must be stopped, and if we don't, who will?" I replied. Lucas shrugged, and in haste he used more of his powerful PSI abilities to take out some more of them. "The Pigmasks don't quit dad! Did you notice that some of them eventually just get back up and continue fighting, even after being knocked down by your brute strength or my powers? At this rate, we'll end up in pretty bad shape, assuming we're lucky enough to survive!" He was right, but before we could make a decision, we were surrounded. As I stiffened my body up and braced for any incoming attacks, I began swinging at those troops again. After a few minutes, I was knocked to the ground, which was right before I fell unconscious, unknowing of what happened to Lucas.

I awoke in what used to be Aeolia's house. "About time you woke up. My name's Steel. I'm the bounty hunter that's taken down numerous criminals, but right now the Pigmask army seems to be my main concern. You'll do no good just carrying around a stick or a piece of lumber. You need a real weapon." I was handed my hat, along with a pair of weapons I couldn't recall seeing before. "They're revolvers. Ever shot a gun before? If not, you're about to. Come outside." I followed Steel outside, and I saw several cans lying on top of logs. "It's just simple target practice. I know you know what guns are. Your people weren't always on this island, and before you were, you knew of many things. I have a feeling you're the same guy I met a long time ago. I hitched a ride to the Nowhere Islands but seeing as though I figured I needed to keep my memories in case anything happens, since that would allow me to remember all the things I can do, I had to hide away. But when that dark dragon was awakened, everything went back to normal… so it seemed. That Porky guy isn't gone. He somehow found himself back here again. I would've hoped that those with evil intent would've been wiped out, but it turns out the only people that didn't make it are those who are already dead. much to our dismay. Anyways, let's get started."

After spending the whole day training with Steel, I decided to ask a question: "Steel, how do you know who I am?" "Ah Flint, everyone knows everyone in Tazmily. Sure I don't exactly belong, but that doesn't mean I haven't been here. I've always been here, I was just hiding away while watching over the town. When your wife and other son went missing in action, I went hunting for them, but I got stopped by that Mecha-Drago. I was about to kill it until it knocked me away with its tail, and then it took off. I was too injured to chase after it, and I had lost my guns when it knocked me off my feet. So, I had to return to my hideaway and recover. It pained me to see that my failure resulted in what I thought was the untimely deaths of two innocent, kind, wonderful people, but I found out it was only your wife. I'm truly sorry for what happened Flint, I really am. I just wasn't enough to stop that creature… and I knew that it wasn't the creature wanting to kill. I knew the drago meant no harm but those Pigmasks got a hold of it and made it into a chimera, forcing it to obey their will. Hence, it did some damage. I couldn't get myself to kill something that was only tortured into following the will of evil. It just wasn't going to sit well on my consciousness. I also heard about Claus… it truly hit a nerve. I won't say why but… I was hit hard knowing that. But there is yet some hope. I know you want your town to be safe and to avenge your son, so I'm giving you the opportunity to do both. Are you with me Flint? I can't do this on my own." "I guess I have no choice, Steel."

"There's one more thing Flint: we have to find out where the princess went. She knows where the Hummingbird Egg is, and we'll need it for your memory to be restored. That should help you out. Then, we'll look for your other son. Make no mistake, we will find him," Steel declared. "Thanks, Steel." We went back to Tazmily to see Wess, and when we arrived, we found Duster and Kumatora. Apparently Wess's house was just the way it was before the Pigmasks came along and took over the village. "Easy enough," Steel mumbled to himself. "What brings you here, Flint? And who is this man?" Kumatora inquired. "Don't be alarmed. The name's Steel. I've watched over Tazmily for a while now… just out of sight. Flint and I are after those Pigmasks, and we have little time. I think they took Lucas. We need the borrow the Hummingbird Egg for a second," he said. "Well, Lucas is okay. He's downstairs sleeping. When we got to him he was roughed up pretty bad, but luckily Kumatora, my father and I all found him just in time to lend him a helping hand. Kumatora used her powers to heal him and then escort us back, after dealing with the last of those guys, but we found most of them already dead. You were nowhere to be found, Flint," Duster said in response. "I don't see what you need it for," Kumatora retorted brusquely. "It contains memories. I'm sure you all don't want your memories back but Flint here has some skills and knowledge he once had that was sealed away. If you ever want to know what happened, just find Leder and ask him about it. Anyways, where can we find it?" "Something about him seems vaguely familiar. Along with that, I trust Steel," I declared. "Follow me," Wess instructed.

I remembered so many things when I took hold of the Hummingbird Egg that it almost overwhelmed me. "I… I was a vigilante?" I asked in disbelief. "Yes, you were. You were like a brother to me Flint. We were inseparable friends, and we were vigilantes that were well revered, to the point that we were called warriors of justice. We were unstoppable… until evil had completely spread. Anyways, you know how all of us got to Tazmily, Flint. The white ship ported us off here. I just don't see how Porky got here," Steel said. "Time travel," Lucas informed while coming up the steps. "He's alive and well. That's good news. I would ask you to come along Lucas, as well as Old Man Wess, Duster and Kumatora, but this is quite dangerous work here. Seeing as though I don't want Flint to end up with no family like me, I'd prefer you to stay here. But more importantly, Tazmily needs some sort of protection. The four of you should be sufficient enough for that task, especially if you get some help from Lighter and a couple others when necessary. Take good care, and make sure the village stays in one piece. We shall return soon enough," Steel said. He led me out of Wess's house, and I waved goodbye to Lucas and the others.


	2. Chapter 2

"Steel, where are we going?" I inquired. "Good question Flint. I have a contact that hangs around Club Titiboo. He usually has useful information and a whole list of current bounties. As far as bounties are concerned he almost always has a lot of their information, their last known location, and most importantly, their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies. Anyways, I'm hoping he has information on the Pigmasks. But before we go see him, we need to find a certain someone in the Chimera Lab. I'm sure it'll be a joyful experience going in there," Steel said. "Who is this certain someone you speak of?" "You'll find out."

We arrived at the Chimera Lab and headed off towards the elevator, of course stumbling upon several chimeras and needing to run or beat them into submission. We refused to kill any of these poor creatures. But once we made it into the hallway of the elevator, I saw a large red creature I could only assume was another chimera. For whatever reason I decided to pull out my revolvers and then shot at it, which seemed to annoy it. Steel yanked me down the hallway. "What did you shoot at it for?!" Steel demanded. "Well it turned and looked at us as if it was going to kill us so why not? This is self-defense!" "Agh, come on Flint you know better than that! That's the Ultimate Chimera, the single most powerful among them all! It cannot be defeated by any means… at least not with conventional weapons. That makes it unstoppable." Steel let go of me and opened up a door, and then we both hurriedly ran into the room, closing the door behind us. "It may bash on the door a bit but I don't think it'll do that for too long. The good news is that the thing doesn't know how to open a door. I guess I might need to mention how imperative it is that we stay quiet. Anything living that attracts its attention is in peril of being eaten alive, to put it nicely. It shows no remorse." "Sounds like one hell of a creature." "Yeah, it is. That chimera has an off switch but for some reason there's this bird that rides on it. I've heard that it'll just flip the switch back on in the event it is turned off." "Great. So we kill the bird." "You think we'll be able to shoot the bird down? Yeah, that's possible. But as far as flipping that switch… no, that's impossible, not unless it gets distracted long enough for one of us to get behind it and flip the switch. We're best off avoiding it."

After a few minutes, we silently exited the room and headed back down the hallway to the elevator and went to the second floor. Once we reached the second floor, Steel led me to another room, and inside was a scientist. "I never thought I'd be seeing you again Dr. Andonuts, not until I decided I needed your help again. I also didn't think that the Pigmask ambition was still alive," Steel said. "Nice to see you too, Steel. So what do you need this time?" Dr. Andonuts asked in response. "Well… I think plain old revolvers are seriously outdated. These were passed down for generations in my family. Fortune smiled upon me and I received four of them, two of which I gave to Flint. Anyways, you think you can make something better of them? Perhaps something that doesn't shoot bullets?" "If you're suggesting I make it into some sort of laser firing weapon, I'm going to have to decline." "Doc, do you really expect me to be able to easily waltz up to King P and demand his surrender, using just these obsolete weapons?" "Well when you put it that way…" "Is it that you don't want to make weapons or are you afraid of something?" "I'm afraid of that Ultimate Chimera. That bird is bulletproof. Well… it's actually a machine. It was made for the sole purpose of making sure that the chimera's switch never stayed off." "Then I definitely need some lasers. Can you make it stronger than the standard Pigmask rifle?" "Of course, these are revolvers we're talking about. I can work out some things to make it how you want but… my lab is in the basement." "You're joking." "I'm afraid not." "Then we have some running to do. Stay as close as a shadow." The three of us exited the room and went back down to the first floor.

"That thing is getting closer! Steel, what are we going to do?" I exclaimed at the top of my lungs. "We're almost there! Don't slow down yet!" he shouted in reply. We finally reached a large room full of bones and other things of other creatures, included what I assumed were models of some creatures. We went through the door on the right and found an elevator to the basement. "I think we'll be safe from here," Dr. Andonuts stated. Once we were in the basement, he led us to a separate hidden room, which he called his lab. "It's the same as it always has been… Well, you can hand me your revolvers then. I'll get to work. It may take a while to upgrade these, but I'll let you know as soon as it's done," he said, taking our guns. "And how shall you be able to do so?" Steel inquired. "I'll have a carrier pigeon deliver the notice. Where should I send it?" When Dr. Andonuts mentioned using a carrier pigeon, I couldn't help but think of the last time I received a note from a carrier pigeon, and consequently, I thought of Hinawa. "Send it to Old Man Wess's house in Tazmily," Steel commanded. "And mine too," I chimed in. The good doctor nodded, and then we exited the basement, headed off to Club Titiboo.

"That didn't go as I hoped. It seems he has limited information on what to do to get rid of the Pigmasks. If I wanted a bloodbath, this whole ordeal would've been a closed case one way or another, but I don't want to go out on a rampage just to kill god knows how many people who were probably coerced or brainwashed," Steel said. "Yeah… it seems he hardly knew as much as we do," I replied. "The good news is that he did give us the location of a high ranking Pigmask, one that should have plenty of information to get. We'll retreat to my hideaway for now. I have some other weapons we can use to persuade that colonel… just be wary, for this might be an interesting fight. You've never faced off with a higher ranking Pigmask troop." "We can just ask for help from Lucas, Kumatora, Wess, Duster, or any combination of them." "Not a chance. I don't want more people to look out for. We can handle it on our own. The fewer people I bring with me the lower amount of them end up dead. I don't think both of us will end up dead in this conquest to stop Porky but anything can happen. So, I don't want Tazmily left without any powerful defenders. Your son has the ability of PK Love, and he can use it to its full power. That's not something we want to deprive of Tazmily. On top of that, we have a princess that has a whole horde of PSI abilities of various types, like your son; furthermore, she's as much a formidable foe as he is. Duster and Wess are definitely no lesser opponents. They'll be enough to make sure that nothing happens to Tazmily in our absence. You never know what comes next with Pigmasks. Now, let's get back before it turns dark. Pigmasks tend to enjoy late night hunting, and you can guess what they hunt."

When we returned to Steel's place, he pulled out some knives, clubs, hammers, staffs, nightsticks, and a couple swords. "Take your pick," Steel said. I chose the staff and a couple of knives. "That's a wise choice, Flint. I expected you to pick a staff anyways. That's why I got them out." "So we have our weapons that we'll use, what do we do now?" "We rest. When the sun rises we will be off on our not so merry way my good friend. I want an early start only so that we have time to get to him before dark. Besides, we'll have to drag his lowlife body a long way. We aren't going out there to kill him since we're going out there for what he knows, and we'll also be turning him in alive. Actually, I'll be doing that last part, but of course, you will get your share; it'll be an even split." "Sounds like a plan. I'll head off home."

We arrived at Tanetane Island and had begun our search for this Pigmask colonel. "How do you expect us to drag him to wherever you're taking him?" I questioned. "There was a Magypsy that lived here named Mixolydia, or otherwise referred to as Missy. Missy had a faithful assistant, for lack of a better term, named Ocho. Ocho may seem to be a mere octopus but he is actually good at transporting people… so I've seen. Your son and his companions once wound up on this island, and they returned to Tazmily with the help of Ocho. I assume that he decided to return to Tanetane Island afterwards, even though Missy's needle was already pulled, causing Missy to vanish," Steel replied. I nodded, and we continued the search.

After a long search, we found the Pigmask all alone. "Never thought I would ever have the opportunity to capture the well revered infamous Steel… and I get to take in your partner too as an added bonus," the Pigmask declared gleefully. "Huh, tough talk that is, but you know what they say: talk is cheap. Care to get this show on the road?" Steel retorted. The Pigmask used some sort of shielding device, pulled out his rifle, and then started shooting at us. Steel and I ran in separate directions, and the Pigmask continued to shoot at me. As I ran in a large circle, Steel eventually closed in on him, lunging at him with his staff. The Pigmask took a powerful blow to the side but quickly recovered and kicked Steel with a fair amount of force. Steel stumbled backwards but kept his eyes focused on the enemy, who did likewise. I took one of my knives and threw it at the Pigmask, but the shield seemed to deflect it. He turned around and shot at me, so I had to dive out of the way while Steel attacked once more with his staff. The shield began to fade away, and when I threw my other knife at our target, the shield broke. Steel and began to punish the Pigmask with several blows from our staffs until the colonel was knocked out. Once that happened, we carried him to Missy's house.

"A razor and lipstick…" Steel muttered almost inaudibly. Ocho looked at us in question when he saw us carrying the Pigmask, but he did not ask anything. "Can you take us back to Tazmily?" Steel asked. Ocho nodded, and led us to the Tanetane Island shore. Once we got there, he took us back to Tazmily. Upon arrival, Ocho bid us goodbye and headed back to Tanetane Island. "I feel sympathy for Ocho… he really cared for Missy, and Missy cared for him too. They were probably the greatest of friends… but Ocho knew that one day Missy would be gone. Let's get this guy back to Aeolia's house. Follow me, I know a shortcut that takes us away from any late night strollers," Steel said.

Once we arrived at Steel's hideaway, Steel tied up the Pigmask after removing his gear. "Ah yes… more Pigmask gear to sell to some random suspicious person, one that's probably up to no good," Steel said. I glared at him, and he looked at me as if in surrender saying, "That was a joke, Flint! I usually don't keep their gear. I have no intention to use their accursed weapons and such; I have my own. Now, let's wake him up." He pulled out a bucket full of hot water and dumped it on the Pigmask, who awoke screaming. "You're free to scream as loud as you want, but just know I'll be much more lenient with cooperation. I don't particularly like your kind, so I suggest you stay on my good side," Steel threatened.

After a while of Steel's interrogation, the Pigmask had surrendered some useful information. "I shall return, Flint. I'm porting this guy off to what may be his final destination. With any luck, it'll be a jail cell, that way he gets to spend the rest of his life there. Even before Porky came along, this guy was a menace. He had a bounty on his head for years, but he disappeared when the Pigmasks came about. I later found out what happened to him, and when my contact said something about him, I just had to go ahead and make the move. I wrote down all the important details in that journal you see on the bed. Along with what our friend here told us you'll find some other useful information I've gathered. Feel free to read it. Just make sure I get it back when you're done with it," Steel said, walking out with the Pigmask lying on his shoulder. He then headed out to his destination.

In Steel's journal I found a lot of interesting pieces of information. I was informed that Porky was in that so called Absolutely Safe Capsule, that under no circumstance can it be opened, damaged, broken, breached, or anything else, and also that anyone inside will indeed be completely safe. Living inside such a machine sounded rather boring to me. If we're lucky, this Porky will run out of food or water sometime soon. I'm sure his death will be enough to significantly contribute to disbanding the Pigmasks. The commander died in the pulling of the final needle… and he was my other son… I still cannot believe what Porky did to Claus. Anyways, there's more information he gathered. Porky hasn't been seen anywhere since the final needle was pulled, however Dr. Andonuts is still confident that Porky is still alive and has not found out a way to travel to another time. Furthermore, there's plenty chimeras of many different types, and with as many as Steel seems to say, the Pigmasks ought to have already ruled all of the Nowhere Islands… it's a wonder what keeps them from that success. I guess another noteworthy piece of information is that the commander's outfit, the former masked man's gear, is all still locked away somewhere safe, just in case they come across another powerful psychic they decide they want to make a human chimera of. That thought made my blood boil. I swore that I would avenge Claus and that I would protect Tazmily with my life, as well as keep the Pigmasks from gaining rule over all of Nowhere. The rest of the journal was mostly filled with the locations of many high ranking Pigmasks, as well as noteworthy pieces of information on them. I didn't bother to read what he gathered on those individuals.

The next day, a carrier pigeon dropped off a note right in front of my door. When I walked out the house to go find Steel, I picked up the note and saw that it was from Dr. Andonuts, just as I had expected. He stated that our "tools" are ready for use, and that they have been tested and perfected for combat. He also said that there are many more useful things about it that he'll tell us when we get there. I heard a voice call out to me, "Dad…" I turned around and saw it was Lucas. He was full of tears. I took him into my arms and embraced him tightly, and then he wanted to lead me somewhere. We arrived at the grave that was his mother's, and near it was Claus's grave. Both were decorated with several sunflowers. I wanted to say something but I was speechless. Lucas and I stayed there a while, and we heard footsteps approaching. "I heard the story of what happened to Claus… and I can't believe it. If only we could have stopped him from fighting that despicable creature…" Alec said. "We might not have been able to stop him. This may be the best it could have turned out. We might have wound up fighting it alongside him due to his ambitious and hasty nature… and may have died," I responded. "Lucas…" another voice said. It turned out to be Fuel. He brought a few sunflowers and a few omelets. "B-before… before s-she…" was all Fuel could manage to say. We accepted the omelets, and Fuel gave the saddest smile I have ever seen. "If we could have found her before they were attacked… none of this would have happened…" I said after finishing my omelet. "And perhaps Tazmily would've been worse off," Alec said. Fuel and Lucas went somewhere, and then Alec got ready to leave. "Take care, Flint… and take care of Lucas," he said. I left soon after Alec did.


End file.
